From what I have seen over the years the only kites that fly and will deliver enough power in that wind are the big Flysurfers...19m Silver Arrow if you are heavy, 17m or 15m if you are lighter.

The problem with LEI's is that ...once you drop below a minimum windspeed they are hard to keep aloft without constant sining. The big foils fly almost unattended even below kiteable wind speeds.

otherwise.....powered para-glider

PS...While I do not personally fly foils on a regular basis (I'm light enough to fly LEI's in 10 kts) I think they have their purpose. My biggest LEI now is a 13.5m , but I do not expect to get much performance out of it under 10 kts to be honest. (btw - I'm 72kg/158#)

Last edited by robertovillate on Sat Mar 13, 2010 6:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

Get yourself the latest in raceboards and fins and you will be surprised at what you can do in 7-8 knots of wind...Just don't drop the kite because it doesn't want to relaunch in this light of wind very easily.Since we are talking about really light wind, I have a Note For BEGINNERS: If the wind is really light and the kite wants to drop, sign the kite hard ,don't stop moving it from side to side (this is your best friend), if it starts to drop STRAIGHT BACKWARDS, pull on your front lines manually (I mean grab them above your bar and pull on them and hold). This a lot of times will keep your kite flying instead of dropping. If your kite is falling straight backwards DO NOT pull on the bar, this will oversheet it and make it fall even faster. Always push bar away (unsheet or depower) and even grab front lines and pull them until kite regains its' lift..As a beginner, it is logical to think you should pull the bar to get more power from the kite, but in really light wind it has the opposite effect and can make the kite stall and fall straight backwards from oversheeting it.

I should have said 7 kts min and my TT and 12mC works, barely, but i'm on the water and not sitting there picking my nose. If it doesn't get past 7kts it's ok but not great, 10kts great, 12kts I can chuck the big TT and get on a regular TT. In fresh water I think 10kts min, maybe 9.

Light wind kiting isn't something I plan to do, it's just what happens a lot... you go to the beach, expecting a forecasted15kts+, but it's only light So you haul out your best light wind tool just cause it's a nice day and you'd like to get on the water.

At 7kts it's tricky, gotta constantly fly it. In less than 7kts it's keep the kite flying at all costs and get back to shore before it drops out of the sky.

There's talk in another thread on 'race boards' being a really good light wind tool, better than big surf boards and better than big TT's. I'm looking forward to adding one of those and maybe getting rid of my huge TT.

Its a good question to ask, because at the moment, the boards are capable of handling down to 6 knots, but the kites are the limiting factor - for freeride anyway.Notus have a video of their 14m light wind kite, which with their extra relaunch line, they say can relaunch in 7 knots.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum